Rachel and William Snowden were the first settlers of Omaha. Because the settlement of Omaha had been planned by a group of enterprising people as they looked across at the future city site from the Council Bluffs, Iowa side of the Missouri River, we know exactly when the first white people set up housekeeping here. Of course, the native indian tribes had been residents of this area for centuries but they were given no consideration when it came to taking their land.

This makes all the "firsts" in Omaha relatively easy to catalog; when you read about the colonization, there are specific dates for everything, and it's unbelieveable at times, but all true. Omaha was seen as a "business" from the very start by anyone out to make money.

This link, to the Rachel Snowden page on a family website, is full of information about our first citizen.